A triathlon can be grueling for someone in peak physical condition, but for one participant in Sunday’s IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta competition swimming a 1.2-mile course, biking 56 miles and running 13.1 miles in one outing comes with added challenges.
Evans resident Don Belisle was 69 when he had his pancreas, spleen and gallbladder removed about 18 months ago after doctors found a precancerous cyst in his pancreas.
“My goal is to make the time cut-off and finish,” said Belisle, who is no stranger to extreme sports especially when it raises money for cancer research.
Since Belisle doesn’t have a pancreas, he relies on an insulin pump to survive. Without a spleen, he’s more susceptible to infection, so he requires medication for that as well.
The insulin pump is connected to his phone, and while that isn’t an issue on land, in the water, it’s a little trickier since he can’t access it while swimming. He must monitor his insulin levels more closely than he would on land.. While training, his wife has kept an eye on his phone to watch his levels.
Once he makes it back for the cycling and running part, Belisle plans to wear a camelback with two bladders filled with electrolytes. While those are often provided on the course, Belisle has found a specific product that helps keep his body regulated. And he said he can keep water bottles on his bike.
Belisle started doing extreme sports to raise money for PACELINE. Over the past several years, he’s raised about $26,000. To donate, go here. Belisle is an avid cyclist, and he has pushed his limits on his bicycle for several years.
He cycled 100 miles on PaceDay, the annual community cycling/walk/run for cancer, several years ago. In 2023, Belisle participated in the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, a 400-mile trek across the state from Columbus to Brunswick; he tacked on another 200 or so miles to his ride to finish at the Georgia Cancer Center.
In July 2024, he mounted a bike in his living room. He made one modification to the bike, adding a comfort seat. He completed the 24-hour ride over the course of 25 hours and five minutes, accounting for the breaks throughout the event, the longest of which was 15 minutes. It was broadcast via live stream so that donors and friends could chart his progress.
Last year, his goal was recovering from surgery and figuring out how to manage life without a pancreas.
A severe case of pancreatitis the day after Christmas in 2024 landed him in the ER twice. Doctors told him to come back in three to four months, but his gut told him to get a second opinion, which he knows saved his life.
He met with doctors at MD Anderson. They scheduled surgery, but it wasn’t long after that they said they needed to do it sooner rather than later. His pancreas was enlarged and the cyst was the type that in most cases ended up developing into cancer.
Belisle feels blessed but also wonders why his cancer was caught early when most pancreatic cancer is often caught later and has an overall five-year survival rate of about 13%, according to the American Cancer Society.
“I must be alive for some reason,” he said.
He formed “No pancreas, no problem” as a way to help people who’ve had their pancreas removed. He’s had the chance to talk to people about his real life experience and what they might expect. He’s also working on a book, which he plans to donate any proceeds toward pancreatic cancer research.
Belisle never thought that he’d ultimately benefit from the cancer research dollars he’d raised, but his diagnosis has made him even more serious about his volunteer efforts.
“I feel like I have a debt to pay,” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here
